What the birds

[Since we finished the book of my grandma's poetry, we're now moving onto a book my grandfather gave to me and my sisters when I was almost three years old.]

Appreciation of Poetry for Young People

[Hand-written inscription]
This is a Christmas present to De Hua, Qun, and Zhong from Gonggong & Puopuo 1978

Group 1: Animals
Group 2: Plants
Group 3: Four Seasons
Group 4: Mountains and Water
Group 5: Daily Living

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From the oldest collection of poetry in China, before Confucius. Zhou dynasty (1046-256 BCE)

There were 311 individual poems compiled by Confucius. And there were several authors, including many anonymous/unknown writers.

Chopping Wood (Bird)

Chop wood, whack whack.
Bird sings, chirp chirp.
Out of the deep valley,
Moving to the tall trees.*
The sound of the birds singing
Means they're looking for friends.

*The birds go to nicer places to look for friends. The common phrase to wish someone a good move comes from the fourth line of this poem meaning moving to a better place.


Thunder Tiger Special Skills

Chattering nonstop bird talk, what do they mean?
Reporting the changes in front of the mountain, too many.
Heavy dew, bright moon, like the flowers are weeping.
Light wind, cloud shadows, sea waves stir up.
From several homes, cooking smoke rises.
In the sky, out of nowhere, jet streams pass by.
Early in the morning, open the window to look, what's happening?
High in the air, Thunder Tigers flip and twist.


(The Taiwan equivalent of the Blue Angels.) When I was staying at the Eastern Sea University, I woke up early one morning and the scenery was really pretty. The Tiger Thunder training ground was close by. I looked out and saw them practicing. It was fantastic, so I wrote this poem.